Cyber-attack disrupts shop refrigeration across seven European countries

A cyber-attack has disrupted refrigerators and freezers at shops across Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland. Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, alongside outlets belonging to other retailers. Temperatures reportedly reached 50C in some freezers. One Delhaize branch in Hoeilaart, Belgium, estimated its spoiled produce was worth €100,000, excluding losses from closing the shop.

Belgian refrigeration company Sabcobel said affected units’ evaporators had been switched to defrost mode and staff were disconnecting equipment from networks. Its chief executive said addressing the vulnerability required physical modifications, not only software updates. Belgian and Swedish cyber-security agencies were monitoring the incident. The source does not identify who was responsible.

Internet connections allow supermarket refrigeration to be maintained and troubleshot remotely. Sabcobel said the apparent method resembled an earlier incident affecting hundreds of French supermarkets, after which local media reported millions of euros in discarded food. That comparison highlights the operational stakes, but does not establish that the same attackers were responsible.